Ron and Sally Jo Blog

En route to Bratislava we stopped in Lednice to visit the summer home of the Liechtenstein family. It is an immense structure built in Neo-Gothic style. We had a short tour inside the castle; then a short boat ride on one of the castle’s park ponds; then took a 45 minute walk back through the park passing a 200-ft high minaret.

View from castle

Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and is located close to the borders of Austria and Hungary. Our hotel was located on the Danube River. We got a corner room on the top floor with a balcony along two sides. We had a wonderful view of the river and of the castle; we decided it was the best place to eat when we were on our own.

A walking tour through the Old Town allowed us to see the Old Town Hall, St Martin’s Gate and St Martin’s Cathedral among other 14th-15th century buildings. When the Ottomans took over Budapest in the early 1500s, Hungary moved their capital to Bratislava. There were 19 coronations held in St Martin’s cathedral. A replica of the Hungarian gold-plated crown is on the top. We climbed to the top of St Martin’s Gate tower to have a look around the city. We also went to the castle grounds.

Jews were forbidden to sell anything in the city but were allowed to lend money. However, few Jews were left after 1945. The Russians needed space for a big road and destroyed a large historic synagogue. Later a statue was built on the spot of the synagogue with the word “Remember.”

In contrast to the grandeur of the old buildings we visited a section of town featuring housing projects that serve as a symbol of the days of communist-era oppression. We visited a young woman living here with her young son and her parents. She showed us their two-bedroom apartment and gave us coffee and cake.

In the evening we drove to Modra about 30 minutes outside Bratislava. Modra is a small village in the midst of vineyards. We had a wine-tasting and an excellent meal in an old wine cellar of a local vintner.

The next day, on our way to Budapest, we stopped at the Roman city of Carnuntum (located in Austria) which began as a Roman army camp along the Danube River. There was a settlement here 6 AD to 350 AD and at its peak some 50,000 people lived here. The site is currently being recreated from the extensive ruins.

We traveled on to Gyor in Hungary. We had a great lunch of Hungarian Goulash soup before exploring this historic town. Then on to Budapest.